Welcome to Utterance: A Letter from the Editors

Utterance is a space we’ve created to hold your words, your feelings, your deepest secrets. We know too well the experience of sharing our experiences and being told that we shouldn’t. We know the feeling of wondering if our words can actually be literature if they are about how we bleed (or don’t) every month, or about the baby latched to our nipples all day, or about fighting against the reflection we see in the mirror every morning. We have wondered if our rejected pieces weren’t “a fit” because of their style, or because they were about the abortions we’ve had, the emotional labors we’ve saddled ourselves with, or the rage that trembles inside our cells.

So often, when people who identify as female/trans/non-binary write about their personal lives, it’s labeled “confessional.” But let’s be clear: speaking about your life isn’t an act of confessing. There isn’t anything inherently sinful about being who you are, even if society chooses to push you to its margins and tell you that your stories aren’t important.

Your stories are important. They are worthy of literature. And we can’t wait to hear them.